Merle Haggard's Ex Launches Tribute Album

Leona Williams' 2008 CD, Leona Williams Sings Merle Haggard.

Merle Haggard

June 20, 2008 — Leona Williams spent nine years on the road with Merle Haggard, providing background vocals, writing several of his hits and eventually marrying him.

The couple had a nasty divorce in the 1980s, but she claims they’ve patched up their differences, and she now offers a celebration of his legacy with the new album Leona Williams Sings Merle Haggard. The 13-track package includes new versions of such classics as "If We Make It Through December," "Okie From Muskogee" and "Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down."

"There’s not anybody that I know of that’s not a Merle Haggard fan," she said during a CD release party at the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville.

Two of the songs on the album are particularly noteworthy: "You Take Me For Granted" and "Someday When Things Are Good" were No. 1 singles for Merle, and both of them were written by Leona.

"I thought if I’d [written] a song good enough for Merle, I’d have done something," she noted.

The event brought out several significant figures, including Grand Ole Opry star Jack Greene and former Alabama guitarist Jeff Cook, now touring with his Allstar Goodtime Band. Also in attendance was the album’s producer, Wood Newton, who’s written such hits as the Oak Ridge Boys’ "Bobbie Sue" and David Ball’s "Riding With Private Malone."

Leona recorded the entire project in a single day of sessions, and she paid particular note to piano player Hargus "Pig" Robbins. It was, perhaps unwittingly, a very appropriate gesture. In an adjacent room, the Musicians Hall of Fame showcases the piano from the sessions in which Pig played on Tammy Wynette’s "Stand By Your Man" and Charlie Rich’s "Behind Closed Doors."